Iranian national nabbed at BIA for attempting to travel with forged British passport

20 July 2025 02:10 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 3 Bookmark

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By T.K.G Kapila

Colombo, July 20 (Daily Mirror) - A 47-year-old Iranian national was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last night while attempting to flee to Europe using a forged British passport.

The arrest was made by officers of the Border Surveillance Unit of the Department of Immigration and Emigration after airline staff grew suspicious of the passport he presented while boarding a flight to Narita, Japan at around 8:00 p.m.

Following a technical inspection, officials confirmed the passport was a forgery. The suspect had reportedly paid US$15,000 (approximately Rs. 4.5 million) to a broker in his home country to obtain the counterfeit travel document.

Further inspection of the suspect’s wallet revealed his genuine Iranian passport and a hidden airline ticket from Narita to Istanbul, suggesting a planned route to Europe via Japan and Turkey.

The suspect has been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers at Katunayake Airport for further investigations.

Comments - 3

Just saying Sunday, 20 July 2025 07:43 PM

Another reason for importance of screening of foreigners prior to arrival to Sri Lanka without visa on arrival or no visa needed.

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Danny Monday, 21 July 2025 04:20 AM

Sri Lankans have mastered this game and this poor guy tried here.

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kuma Monday, 21 July 2025 07:08 AM

Screen all foreigners on arrival

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